Art. 879 Determinate sentence required

When a judge sends someone to prison after a conviction, the sentence has to be a specific, fixed amount of time. The judge cannot hand down a vague or open-ended sentence. For example, a judge can't just say someone will serve "a few years" or leave the exact length up in the air.

This means the sentence needs to state a clear number, like five years or ten years. This gives the defendant, the prison system, and everyone else involved a clear understanding of exactly how long the prison term will last. It also makes sure the punishment is set by the court itself, not left open to guesswork or decided later by someone else.